Courage: What’s love got to do with it?
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Fear! Hello amazing creature! I am here to face you:
Love was frightening,
so I have become a lover
No longer the sly fox,
I charge ahead towards the angry lion
Now I see her face clearly
I am the roaring lion
and the one who embraces it
The moon whispers: Don’t cover your wounds
Love can only heal if you stand naked — Rumi
Love is frightening. Deep down we know that the realm of love is not only a field of rainbows and flowers but also a deep dark forest of shadows and inner beasts and demons. We often gladly enter the field, but rarely dare to venture into that terrifying forest, and when we do so, we become clad in full armor as if it were a battleground. We emerge with an empty hand and a confused mind, bearing battle scars. Rather than realizing that we have been waging war against the most malnourished and neglected parts of ourselves, we conclude that we must not return to that horrible place and if we have no choice, we bring more protective gear and armaments.
What if next time, we left the armor behind and carried with us a mirror? The field is us and the frightening forest is us also. Whether we withhold ourselves from love or embrace it with all of our being, the mirror responds accordingly. There is no “other” in love. What better way to heal lifetimes of wounds than to stand naked in the presence of love?
